Bausby began his national anthem demonstration when he was with the Kansas City Chiefs for the preseason last year. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Albert Wilson, one of Bausby's former Chiefs teammates, knelt during the national anthem before his preseason game Thursday night.

Both Jenkins and Bausby said they didn't consult with each other before the anthem. Jenkins said he was waffling about whether to raise his fist up until right before the game.

"It's something that I just wrestle with all the time," Jenkins said.

Bausby made it clear he decided to demonstrate individually. He and Jenkins said the Eagles don't discuss the national anthem because they don't want anyone to feel pressured into participating in something they might not necessarily be comfortable with.

Bausby said there was no single event that pushed him into joining the national anthem demonstrations last season. Jenkins began demonstrating in 2016 after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling to bring attention to police brutality and violence. Jenkins has focused on a number of causes, including mass incarceration. Jenkins wore an undershirt with incarceration statistics on it before Thursday night's game.

And while Bausby has made his decisions to demonstrate independent of Jenkins, the elder defensive back is helping Bausby become more involved in different causes.

"I told Malcolm I'm interested in doing all the things he's doing off the field, so Malcolm brought me under his wing, and all the things he's doing, he's inviting me to," Bausby said. "It's a combination of everything. I don't want to go too much into detail about it."

The controversy surrounding the national anthem demonstrations, which has made the NFL a target of Twitter tirades from President Donald Trump, has continued from last fall through this summer, and it seems poised to continue for the third straight season. NFL owners announced a policy earlier this year where players would have the choice of standing on the sideline and not demonstrating or staying in the locker room during the national anthem.

After the Associated Press reported that the Miami Dolphins had language in their rule book about punishing players for demonstrating during the anthem, the league tabled the policy.

Jenkins doesn't want the meaning behind the demonstrations to get lost.

"From how last season went to where we are now, I just think it's important to continue to keep this conversation going and we don't let it get stagnant," Jenkins said. "As we understand it, everybody is kind of waiting to see what the league is going to do. We won't let it stop what we've been standing up for. That's just my personal decision to make sure that we keep these things in the forefront."

Jenkins, Long and the rest of the Eagles are waiting to see what kind of policy the NFL returns with. The league is reportedly taking input from players on a new anthem policy, and Long pointed out a hypocrisy in potentially fining players like Jenkins who demonstrate.

"Whatever Malcolm's doing, I'm with it," Long said. "At the end of the day, we'll see what they come out with, but I think when you look at a guy like Malcolm, you're talking about fining a guy who is all class, all the time, and does a lot off the field for a lot of people."

The Eagles appear poised to remain one of the more active teams when it comes to off-field social justice activity. Jenkins participated in a ride-along with Philadelphia Police, and he meets with lawmakers on different topics.

They're aware they have platforms, and they're going to use them.

And they're going to make sure the message of their demonstrations gets through.

"I wouldn't call it a protest," Bausby said. "I just call it, just recognize what's going on, bringing attention to it. I don't really like the word protest because when people hear the word protest, they think of it in a negative way. I'm just raising awareness, that's all."